Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville

UT-Knoxville's interdisciplinary studies program starts graduates at an alarming $23,404—barely above minimum wage—placing it in the bottom 10% both nationally and among Tennessee's 20 programs offering this degree. While the 60% earnings jump to $37,520 by year four sounds impressive, this merely brings graduates to what peers at Middle Tennessee State or Vanderbilt earn right out of the gate. The $20,500 debt load compounds the problem: you're asking your child to repay nearly a year's starting salary while watching classmates in other UT programs launch careers at substantially higher earnings.

What makes this particularly puzzling is that this comes from Tennessee's flagship public university, where the average SAT score of 1304 suggests capable students. Yet this same degree produces better immediate outcomes at nearly every competitor in the state. The extended runway to reach market-rate earnings means four years of forgone income that graduates never recover—those early career years matter enormously for retirement savings and major life milestones.

If your child is set on UT-Knoxville, steer them toward a more focused major. Interdisciplinary studies works well for students with clear career plans that require this specific flexibility, but the data shows most graduates in this program struggle to translate that breadth into early career value. The debt is manageable, but only if those first few years aren't spent scrambling for financial footing.